The Day the Rains Came - Jane Morgan

 Given the overnight gusty north-easterly breeze, persistent and sometimes heavy rain combined with a temperature of no more than +3°C it was no surprise to find not an Insect in the traps let alone a Moth. Unfortunately, in part, the same conditions continued across most of yesterday's daylight hours leading to the decision to consign today’s post to that seen from the comfort of our happy home, in order of appearance:-

Raining in my Heart - Buddy Holly

I Can't Stand the Rain on my Window - Ann Peebles
Think that has exhausted most of the RAIN songs?

SONG THRUSH
(first to show)

MAGPIE

WREN

WOOD PIGEON

ROOK

HERRING GULL
in company with

BLACK-HEADED GULL

KESTREL

PIED WAGTAIL

BLUE TIT

STARLING
While we feel sure they would rather have had a nice sunny day the

TELEGRAPH ENGINEERS

continued with their labours!

Despite the drabness of the day, confining us to barracks, it couldn't have ended on a higher note with a last minute knock on the door to find a fully laden Geoff (the Electrician) stood there with our

Last 2 Refurbished Moth Trap Units. 

When it's your passion you don't count the cost and with an already arranged meeting with Jose this morning we doubt if it will be long before we are 'fireing' on all 5 traps!
WE ARE NOW ALSO HOPING THAT THE 'SUNDAY POST' WILL MAKE UP FOR TODAY'S COP-OUT! 

Garden - Groundhogs

My garden is all overgrown, and the weeds are creeping up on my home.

Grass has grown over two foot high, and the trees are blocking out the sky.

 Well, with Strange only just consigned to the Dry Dock we will attempt to carry on as normal?

Starting with Good News that the Bund Moth Trap has also been bloodied not only with Hebrew Characters and Chestnuts but also a

First for the Year

ANGLE SHADES
while watching from afar only our 'second'

GREEN WOODPECKER

of the year at the usual Tennis Court feeding station.

Additionally, yet another unidentified 'flying object' before giving the

EMU

the early month once over while additionally a 'new arrival'

MUTE SWAN

noticeably about as 'pristine' as a Swan can be while both

NUTHATCH

and
PHEASANT
do not quite qualify as 'garden birds' here, just very occassional visitors, while this

PIED WAGTAIL
feeding in the margins eventually ended up

looking down upon us through the

STAR TUNNEL

But I'm not going to touch a single blade of the grass, my garden will live just like the distent past.

Before the days of agricultural land, before the time when deserts turned to sand!

Through the Trees - The Handsome Family - Part II

 On a rainy morning, which may well turn to snow, thank heavens for a Part II.

A SHIFT of LOCATION but no less interesting, with 

Birds, Trees and Mammals including

TREECREEPER
(in the shade)

and again huge gnarled and twisted 'trunks' all around

along with more

New Forest

PONIES
before encountering who we dubbed the

BLUE TIT MAN

who had placed food so he, and we, might photograph the birds including this individual with a
Club Foot

and even enticing one or 2 onto his hand.

More Trees
this one complete with splendid 'noduals'

and others attracting the likes of the not often seen, by us at least,

HAWFINCH
with a

KESTREL
in 'hover' always a welcome sight.

Close to this Tree forming an Arch were found

FIRECREST

SISKIN
along with a vocal

LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER
by no means easy to find but no shortage of

NEW FOREST PONIES
this one looking as if in its Senior Years, we know the feeling!

along with a

NUTHATCH
close to the new beginings of

PLANTING

For Those Who Come After Us!

and yet more
NODUALS

before saying Goodbye to his Daveship and it's Goodbye from Me, for now!

Though the Trees - The Handsome Family Part I

 If you have an eclectic taste for music and have not ventured into the realms of the above you might find them to be just about as bizarre as it gets.

Husband and Wife Brett and Rennie Sparks from Chicago, Illnois laterly from Albuquerque (both U.S.A.) in 2001 just do it for me. Another away-day series and a Friday jaunt along with our much valued friend Dave started out for a day in the

HAMPSHIRE

with our first sighting en route being a decent size grounded flock of

COMMON GULLs

with this being our first stop on a visit that was to prove as interesting for its trees as for other Wildlife but firstly to one of the

Vantage Points

from where we might best see that magical Bird of Prey that is the

GOSHAWK

at some distance but with the telescope excellent views and from another time and another place

an individual 'clicked' in South Korea for a better veiw.
However, with most of our intent on bird-life there was an urge to pay more attention to the

trees both Living and Dead which turned out to be as interesting as the other and of course the

NEW FOREST PONIES

which are considered Wild Mammals in their own right

along with an array of Birdlife such as

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER 

close relatives

MARSH TIT
and

WILLOW TIT

Reaching for the welcome Blue Sky

and inevitably one day ending up like this.

WOODLARK

HIS DAVESHIP

This Beautiful Plant in Bloom

which caused some conjecture still not knowing for certain what it is?

CAMILLIA

(help from a valued friend)

The

FORD

and here come the tourists (not Annie Lennox ) with hopes of Part II following shortly!